Crossing Over (2009)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Cynthia S

  
  A really good movie with Harrison Ford. It's been a long time since I could utter those words.

• Mark W

  
  Harrison Ford the whip cracking hero of old can hardly pick a good film to save himself these days but Crossing Over is decent effort. He plays an immigration officer controlling the border of Mexico but his job is only a small part of the bigger picture of immigrants entering… More
  Harrison Ford the whip cracking hero of old can hardly pick a good film to save himself these days but Crossing Over is decent effort. He plays an immigration officer controlling the border of Mexico but his job is only a small part of the bigger picture of immigrants entering America. The film is similiar to "Crash" and "Traffic" in that, there are many characters who intertwine in each others lives and the impact the decisions they make have on others. It's not as good as the previous films mentioned but a decent effort and some good performances by Ford and a real sleazy Ray Liotta.

• Bruce B

  
  Harrison Ford plays an immigration officer and movie shows different cases that are handled everyday. Was I touched, not in the slightest. Becoming a legal citizen of any country requires more then just hitting US Soil, and the Bill of Rights and US Constitution touch on immigration… More
  Harrison Ford plays an immigration officer and movie shows different cases that are handled everyday. Was I touched, not in the slightest. Becoming a legal citizen of any country requires more then just hitting US Soil, and the Bill of Rights and US Constitution touch on immigration in no way. Overall movie worth 3 stars but will add another 1/2

• Anthony L

  
  Crossing over is much better than Crash. It's less contrived but still convoluted and woefully misjudged with some painful stereotypical prejudices. There is some good here though, the performances are fine and the storyline of the Mexican woman is very touching, it's also… More
  Crossing over is much better than Crash. It's less contrived but still convoluted and woefully misjudged with some painful stereotypical prejudices. There is some good here though, the performances are fine and the storyline of the Mexican woman is very touching, it's also the best Ford has been in years. I have to say I'm slightly disgusted by some of the other reviews here that comment on Alice Eve's nudity in the film, she's practically being raped on screen, how is that sexy? Others also say it can't be compared to Crash's greatness so I guess you'd better watch it and make up your own minds!

• Cassandra M

  
  I wasn't expecting another Crash from Crossing Over, and I didn't get another Crash. Crossing Over follows a number of people and their troubles with immigration issues. Harrison Fird headlines, with Ray Liotta and Ashley Judd among the supporting cast. Ford is an ICE… More
  I wasn't expecting another Crash from Crossing Over, and I didn't get another Crash. Crossing Over follows a number of people and their troubles with immigration issues. Harrison Fird headlines, with Ray Liotta and Ashley Judd among the supporting cast. Ford is an ICE officer named Brogan, whose partner (Cliff Curtis), an Arabic guy whose sister (Alice Braga) works at a printing shop that makes fake Green Cards, ID's, and the like. Claire (Alice Eve) is discovered having a couple of these things by Ray Liotta's character, who cons her into having an affair with him. Ashley Judd plays Liotta's wife, who is trying her best to solve an issue involing a Muslim girl supposedly sympathizing with those who caused 9/11. Meanwhile, Jim Sturgess successfully does nothing as a Jewish atheist. Confused? Don't be. The story is fairly simple to follow. The only fault I have is with Jim Sturgess, who is for the most part unconnected with any of the other characters. The acting is very good, Harrison Ford reminded me of John Hartigan (of Sin City). Cliff Curtis gave a great performance too, I don't understand why he isn't on the A-List yet. Ray Liotta gives a scummy performance, as a total creep. Ashley Judd is good too. If you're looking for the successor to Crash, Crossing Over isn't it. But if you're up for a pretty good film that discusses an issue that never tires, I'd recommend this.

• Roy G

  
  The whole thing's about as enjoyable as a holiday to Guantanamo Bay. Less a movie and more a two-hour finger wag.

• Al S

  
  A hard-boiled, magnetic, amazing and absorbing drama. An all-star pitch-perfect cast who all deliver powerhouse performances. Harrison Ford has never been better, he gives an incredible, intense, riveting and passionately charged performance just showing that he only gets better with… More
  A hard-boiled, magnetic, amazing and absorbing drama. An all-star pitch-perfect cast who all deliver powerhouse performances. Harrison Ford has never been better, he gives an incredible, intense, riveting and passionately charged performance just showing that he only gets better with age. Ray Liotta is excellent, his best performance in years. Ashley Judd is terrific, giving an impressive and effective performance. Jim Sturgess is sensational, showing he is such a great young talent. Cliff Curtis is fantastic, giving a powerful performance. A powerful, original and brilliant piece of multi-layered work filled with great characters and compelling stories. It's Crash meets Traffic. It shines with raw power, searing emotion and dramatic intensity. This is such a magnificent and breathtaking film that will shake you right to the core. Deeply moving, earth shattering and exhilarating from start to finish. A gripping and thrilling roller-coaster ride of emotions. Truly incredible and absolutely unforgettable. A masterpiece. Director, Wayne Kramer crafts a fearless film bringing up subjects and ideas most films wouldn't tackle these days. He crafts the characters and stories perfectly.

• Dean M

  
  This is the most interesting story of the issue of immigration in Los Angeles, that great American melting pot. Classy and intelligent, this mostly avoids the next conveniences and didacticism of <i>Crash</i>. The performances are all good, too, from a stoic Harrison Ford… More
  This is the most interesting story of the issue of immigration in Los Angeles, that great American melting pot. Classy and intelligent, this mostly avoids the next conveniences and didacticism of <i>Crash</i>. The performances are all good, too, from a stoic Harrison Ford down to the sensational Summer Bishil. Newcomer Aussie actress Alice Eve looks hot in her nudity/sex scences with Ray Liotta.

• Derek D

  
  A Crash-type intertwining of different stories all concerning immigration somehow. Harrison Ford does so few movies these days that anything with him in it is automatically a perk-up to watch it, So, I was interested and it's not a bad movie. It could've been better, though.… More
  A Crash-type intertwining of different stories all concerning immigration somehow. Harrison Ford does so few movies these days that anything with him in it is automatically a perk-up to watch it, So, I was interested and it's not a bad movie. It could've been better, though. Cliff Curtis - who looks like a middleeastern Gerard Butler - was awesome as an immigration officer who is eventually uncovered to be involved in a mured involving his sister, who is set to be deported back to Iran along with the rest of the family. Or Iraq. One or the other.

• Mark E

  
  Interesting story,tho a little dull at times..Harrison needs to choose his roles more wisely.

• Pedro H

  
  Very good. A Briliant story, great acting, its just shows really how narrowminded, ignorant, and paranoid some people are, if you liked Crash you will find this extreamlly schocking and provoking too, 2 thumbs way way up

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"Every day thousands of people illegally cross our borders... only one thing stands in their way. America."</i> Crossing Over is a multi-character canvas about immigrants of different nationalities struggling to achieve legal status in Los Angeles...… More
  <i>"Every day thousands of people illegally cross our borders... only one thing stands in their way. America."</i> Crossing Over is a multi-character canvas about immigrants of different nationalities struggling to achieve legal status in Los Angeles... <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Crossing Over consists of multiple story lines bound together by a common theme examined, sometimes with just a few characters straddling across the narrative threads to link them up explicitly. Writer-director Wayne Kramer examines the issues behind the illegal immigrant problem in USA who are either trying to lay low in avoiding the law, or trying their best to gain legal residency with each experiencing different challenges that lie ahead in their quest. A mix of "Babel" and "Crash" in the culture clash study of immigration in the US with a decent ensemble with some nice work by Ford as an aging fed who tries to find the humanity in his soul-crushing work; Curtis as his partner who has a memorable speech in a convenience store hold-up; and especially Bishil as an opinionated student whose speech at school land her in hot water. Filmmaker Wayne Kramer walks an uneven balance of the political and social upheavals in this well-acted drama in this post-9/11 treatise on the melting pot of America.

• Mark A

  
  A difficult film, if one has an ounce of compassion for the poor, the tired, the huddled masses yearning to live free. There was a time when America officially welcomed immigrant populations and strove to assimilate them into our culture. This film serves to remind how far we have… More
  A difficult film, if one has an ounce of compassion for the poor, the tired, the huddled masses yearning to live free. There was a time when America officially welcomed immigrant populations and strove to assimilate them into our culture. This film serves to remind how far we have moved away from that ideal. Harrison Ford seemed perfectly cast as the weary immigration officer who seems to go through the motions for the most part and yet can still be moved by the plight of a young single mother. Ray Liotta is an immigration official whose marriage to Ashley Judd, an immigration defense lawyer, holds power over a young woman seeking her green card and exercises that power in a most sleazy manner. The rest of the cast is somewhat less well known, but each brings a certain authenticity to the roles. Is this film manipulative? Certainly. Does it point out the inconsistencies and illogical nature of our immigration enforcement procedures? Definitely. Both sides of the immigration debate can glean fodder for their points of view here, but it is obvious where the film's producers stand on this issue. This viewer was moved to tears, sometimes in sadness over the plight of some of the characters, and more often in anger over the wrongheadedness of some of the immigration enforcers. That 9/11 changed us as a nation irrevocably is clear, whether that change was for the better is seriously debatable.

• Andreas B

  
  Crossing Over. What to say about this movie. A star studded cast in a movie where there are many races in separate plots that all get connected through one way or another. There are murders and race issues and this doesn't sound any bit familiar whatsoe-CRASH?? Crash is that… More
  Crossing Over. What to say about this movie. A star studded cast in a movie where there are many races in separate plots that all get connected through one way or another. There are murders and race issues and this doesn't sound any bit familiar whatsoe-CRASH?? Crash is that you? You've certainly... Changed. And as good as Harrison Ford and Ashley Judd are, the rest of the cast is just ok. Jim Sturgess, songbird at heart, was just ok this time around. Ray Liotta, hell of a bad ass, was just ok this time. Everyone else, just ok. But this movie overall wasn't just ok. The whole movie was almost a shot-for-shot rip off of Crash. And it's not like Crash is some B-Movie that was only released in a random country that was straight to dvd. It won the academy award. Crossing Over, even if it is a copy, does not even come close, and there are more reasons as to why. First off, unlike Crash, the combination of the plots are boring and none of us could care any less. Crash had a purpose: to show lives of others and how we treat them as if they are nothing over simple anger and judgmental anguish when we shouldn't, as they have lives too. Crossing Over's point of this was just to somehow take up time and cross the finish line. Seriously, this leads to part two. Part two is how insignificant some of these plots are. You have the young African orphan who pops up once or twice then gets adopted by Ashley Judd. While this is a kind gesture, none of us care. Why? She was shown so few times, and when she was shown she was happy and smiling. No, I'm not a monster, and I don't think it is wrong to show happy kids. But for a movie that's trying to make a statement on race and immigration in America, this isn't moving enough. So while some plots are short and meaningless, some are large and get left wide open. The girl who was deported for her 9/11 speech: The hell happens to her? She goes to the airport, and nothing? Everything else was concluded, including the short, mindless stories, so why not this? And what about Ray Liotta? He got arrested. Ok. Then what? That's all we see? And the girl he gave the illegal green card to, what happened to her? She just goes home and her boyfriend has not a care in the world about this? I'm telling you, half of these stories were created just to fill up time. Finally, another rip off I noticed which deserves a whole point on its own. Harrison Ford sees a girl amongst a crowd of people he is supposed to be against as his crew are finding and punishing them. He can't stop noticing the girl, and the second time he sees her she is dead. I think apart from the fact that Ford kind of looks like Liam Neeson, that this is kind of a rip off of Schindler's List. No offense, I mean The Cooler was pretty good, but you are not Steven Spielberg. So there are rip offs and for a movie with multiple plots, many are left wide open and unfinished. I hate to bring it up again, but I personally feel that this movie had a longer title: Crash Crossing Over Into The Pass Pile. Final Rating: 1.2/10 Keep An Eye Out For: The music Jim Sturgess sings. It's actually really catchy and I kind of wish it was released on a solo cd of his or something else so it would be more appreciated.

• Fascade F

  
  I am going to have to thoroughly describe the viewing of this epic as : "One tough as nails pill to swallow" totally on account of all of the circumstances of where I have heard over the years about the horror stories I have heard about the border patrol in LA / Mexico on… More
  I am going to have to thoroughly describe the viewing of this epic as : "One tough as nails pill to swallow" totally on account of all of the circumstances of where I have heard over the years about the horror stories I have heard about the border patrol in LA / Mexico on what they do. Here is a film that not only shows what the border patrol does...but shows what the imigrant goes through to get the coveted : "Green Card"...See this, it is a gripping memorable saga.

• Sol C

  
  Amazing film. The film reminded me of movies like Crash, Traffic, and Babel. The film has a great ensemble and everyone in the cast shines. I definitely recommend this film.

• Philip P

  
  "Crossing Over" is an interesting film about illegal immigrants and the issues they face once they reach America. The film does a fine job of navigating its intertwining stories-while its star-studded cast seemlessly blend into their everyday characters. I liked that it not… More
  "Crossing Over" is an interesting film about illegal immigrants and the issues they face once they reach America. The film does a fine job of navigating its intertwining stories-while its star-studded cast seemlessly blend into their everyday characters. I liked that it not only focused on what the average american thinks of an illegal immigrant, that being a mexican who works a factory job for far less money than any American would. It does include them in the story, but it doesn't single them out-in fact, it looks at the most unexpected of people who illegally take up fort in the United States. Ford, promoted as the star of the film, is only in about half the movie-his sensative Immigrant officer deals with raiding work places and weeding out those that are here illegally-he does this with a stern hand, but cares about the outcome of these people and sees the humanity in his job. His partner, played by a very good Cliff Curtis is an immigrant himself who seems to have this job to prove to himself he belongs in America. His family is broken apart by the actions of his younger sister who doesnt follow the tradition of the families homeland. On the other side of things we have a very subtle and touching Ashley Judd who works to find orphaned children from other countries homes and her husband played by Ray Liotta who approves folks for the coveted green card. It would be difficult to summarize all the intertwining plot lines without completely giving away the film but the aforementioned players give the film a life that really makes this material hit home, especially a home of american-born citizens. The most riveting performance of the film though, and probably the most intriguing story belongs to Summer Bishil who plays a young Islam woman that is so devout in her beliefs she has the nerve to stand in front of a classroom of American kids and somewhat defend what happened on September 11th. It is made clear that she didnt agree with how the terrorists got their point across, but it is apparent she is happy they were recognized. It is a hard thing to swallow and even harder to understand seeing as it shamed America-but you know that you understand where she is coming from-that is scary. Bishil plays the young girl with such raw emotion that in a scene where she says goodbye to her two young siblings you honestly don't care what she said about the 9/11 attacks, you just know it is wrong to break-up this humble family over a 16 year-olds opinion. Director Wayne Kramer gives the film a rough kind of feel while also providing some great, one-take moving camera shots. All the makings of an important film are here, it is easy to see the comparisons to 'Crash' but it is something totally its own as well and deserves to be viewed more than once and thought about afterwards.

• Deb S

  
  CROSSING OVER is one of the most powerful, heart wrenching immigrant stories out there. The interconnected characters and plots will leave you to ask questions about the meaning of liberty and what America stands for. The most controversial is probably the issue of freedom of speech… More
  CROSSING OVER is one of the most powerful, heart wrenching immigrant stories out there. The interconnected characters and plots will leave you to ask questions about the meaning of liberty and what America stands for. The most controversial is probably the issue of freedom of speech presented by writer/director Wayne Kramer in this movie. Once again, it's the question of homeland security at the expense of freedom; can be justified or not? Max Brogan (Harrison Ford) is an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent (ICE) with a heart and sympathy for the very people he must track down and deport. The film creates empathy for someone we at first shrink from, namely the 15 year old Iranian girl who inflames her classmates on the topic of 9/11. Jim Sturgess plays a guy who sticks to his principles to get a green card while his Australian girlfriend is willing to sell her body for 2 months worth of on-demand sexual favors to an Immigration official (Ray Liotta) in exchange for a green card. All the rest of the supporting actors are outstanding in their performances. Crossing Over pushes the right buttons with its powerhouse cast in making the audience think about, empathize with, and examine the issues presented.

• Doctor S

  
  Earnest - perhaps TOO earnest - trying to be the <i>Crash</i> or <i>Traffic</i> over the issue of immigration. Multistory approach with intertwining threads grows tiresome with only a couple stories really standing out. Same goes for the acting, Ray… More
  Earnest - perhaps TOO earnest - trying to be the <i>Crash</i> or <i>Traffic</i> over the issue of immigration. Multistory approach with intertwining threads grows tiresome with only a couple stories really standing out. Same goes for the acting, Ray Liotta's contribution notably awful and in the diner delivers the fakest laugh I've ever heard. Still, I have secondhand experience with how messed-up the issue of citizenship is and <i>Crossing Over</i> attempts to illustrate the shortcomings within the system and does include a few undeniably powerful moments.

• Matthew L

  
  This movie I didn't even make it through. Why Harrison Ford starred in this is crazy. It was a slow moving story and a boring one at that. No real substance and who cares? A bad script filled with great actors.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings